Synopses & Reviews
The leading text in international relations is getting even better. Thoroughly revised and reorganized for the twelfth edition, WORLD POLITICS: TREND AND TRANSFORMATION presents the most comprehensive coverage of any text, and this annual update provides the most recent demographic and statistical information available for the course. Using key concepts from major theoretical traditions to analyze both historical and contemporary developments in international relations, WORLD POLITICS addresses topics such as war, terrorism, human rights, the environment, and international development while emphasizing an institutional approach to resolving international conflict. Author Charles W. Kegley and new coauthor Shannon L. Blanton present each issue in a thought-provoking yet accessible way that prepares you to critically assess the problems, payoffs, pitfalls, and paradoxes of people's collective choices about the global future and the probable impact those choices will have on your life.
Review
"I continue to use this text because it simply has the best overall presentation of concepts, theories, and issues in a very artistic and interesting fashion."
Review
"A well written book that students find user friendly. The clarity of the writing and the organization of each chapter make it easy for students to follow and they learn the materials."
Review
"I would describe World Politics to a colleague as a captivating introductory level text which covers all aspects of international relations today. I find it to be the perfect undergraduate text. . . ."
Review
"Obviously, Dr. Kegley's reputation is second to none. He's a world class scholar and offers insight and information that exceeds other IR textbooks in the discipline because of his training."
About the Author
Charles W. Kegley is currently serving on the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. A past President of the International Studies Association, Kegley holds the title of Pearce Distinguished Professor of International Relations Emeritus at the University of South Carolina. A graduate of the American University (B.A.) and Syracuse University (Ph.D.) and a Pew Faculty Fellow at Harvard University, Kegley previously served on the faculty at Georgetown University, and has held visiting professorships at the University of Texas, Rutgers University, the People's University of China, and the Institute Universitaire de Hautes Études Internationales Et du Developpement in Geneva Switzerland. He is also a recipient of the Distinguished Scholar Award of the Foreign Policy Analysis Section of the International Studies Association. A founding partner of Kegley International, Inc. (a publishing, research, and consulting foundation), Kegley has authored more than 50 scholarly books (and over 100 articles in journals), including co-authorship with Gregory A. Raymond for Cengage of five editions of The Global Future, as well as with Eugene R. Wittkopf seven editions of American Foreign Policy: Pattern and Process. Shannon Lindsey Blanton is Professor of Political Science at The University of Memphis, where she is also the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Programs. She oversees all undergraduate programs and provides leadership for curriculum development, general education, retention programming, the Center for International Programs and Services, the Honors Program, Learning Communities, and academic advising services. She is a past department chair and undergraduate coordinator, and has served nationally as a facilitator for leadership development in higher education. A graduate of Georgia College (B.A.), the University of Georgia (M.A.), and the University of South Carolina (Ph.D.), she has received numerous research awards and was named in 2007 as the recipient of The University of Memphis' esteemed Alumni Association Distinguished Research in the Social Sciences and Business Award. She has served on a number of editorial boards, including those for four of the discipline's foremost journals, International Studies Quarterly, Foreign Policy Analysis, International Interactions, and International Studies Perspectives.
Table of Contents
PART I: TREND AND TRANSFORMATION IN WORLD POLITICS. 1. Interpreting World Politics. 2. Theories of World Politics. 3. International Decision Making. PART II: THE GLOBE'S ACTORS AND THEIR RELATIONS. 4. Great Power Rivalries and Relations. 5. The Global South in a World of Powers. 6. Intergovernmental Organizations and the Quest for Global Governance. 7. Nongovernmental Organizations and the Shape of the Global Future. 8. People Power and the Promotion of Human Rights. PART III: THE ECONOMIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC DIMENSIONS OF GLOBALIZATION. 9. The Globalization of International Finance. 10. International Trade in the Global Marketplace. 11. The Demographic and Cultural Dimensions of Globalization. PART IV: THREATS TO THE WORLD. 12. Threats to the Preservation of the World's Common Ecology. 13. The Threat of Armed Aggression to the World. PART V: REALIST ROADS TO NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY. 14. The Military Pursuit of Power Through Arms and Military Strength. 15. Alliances and the Balance of Power. Part VI: LIBERAL PATHS TO WORLD ORDER. 16. Negotiated Conflict Resolution and International Law. 17. Liberal Approaches to Collective Security. Part VII: ENVISIONING YOUR ALTERNATIVE GLOBAL FUTURES AND PREDICTING GLOBAL TRANSFORMATIONS. 18. Thinking about Global Trends, Transformations, and the Future of World Politics.